Spring Training in Alaska

Here's Riley and Chris starting their spring training. The boy that looks like Riley's twin is his friend Bradley, another sports enthusiast. Our dog Trevor makes a good outfielder, if we can get him to give us the ball back. Little League doesn't officially start for a couple of weeks but the guys have spring fever. The snowline is receding fast. I think the temperature hit the 40s yesterday, Woohoo!

Yesterday I picked up our travel meds: Oral typhoid vaccine and Cipro for Matt, topical, oral and ophthalmic antibiotics for Maya (per recommendations of our adoption pediatrician in Seattle), scabies medicine, and multivitamins. I wonder if we should bring worm medicine? Guess I should reread the papers from the International Adoption Clinic at Univ. of WA, and the Vietnam manual from Holt International, and the Manual of International Adoption for Health Care Providers.

As soon as I'm done with those, I have to relearn all the Vietnamese that I learned on the Pimsner CD that Matt gave me for Christmas 2 years ago. Once you get beyond the hello, excuse me, two beers please and thank you, it probably won't help me much when I'm dealing with a grieving child. The family that is picking up their daughter right now posted a list of comforting things to say to their toddler that they wanted translated to Vietnamese. I thought, what if I pronounce the words wrong and "We are your parents" sounds more like "We eat rotten fish?". I think the tone of voice and gentle touch will convey what we need to tell her. But I did print the list of phrases just in case.

How am I doing on my to do list? Well, I haven't cleaned the fish tank yet. Or organized the guest room. My mom assured me I don't have to do any of the 5 million things I thought I had to do before I leave because she and Nanna have got it all under control. It's not that I ever doubted them, it's just part of my pre-trip anxiety.

Yesterday I spent the day alternately trying to clean the house and having panic attacks. Everywhere I turn there are piles of stuff that I have neglected for 6 months or more. I open drawers to put things away and things pop out at me. I try to put things in closets and pantries but things fall out when I open closet doors and pantries. Why do I always feel compelled to deal with stuff I've neglected for months just before I go on a trip?

My mom used to do the same thing (except her house is always neat, all the time). I'd ask, "Mom, why does everything have to be perfect before we leave?" She'd say "In case someone breaks in while we're gone." Later on I'd wonder, why should we care if the robbers think we are slobs?" Now I realize it's not the robbers we are cleaning up for, it's the police that will come after the robbers! Seriously, I think we do it because we don't want to come home to this mess.

Matt was shopping on line for a baby carrier last night. We aren't sure we want to buy a carrier if we are only going to use it in Vietnam. Does anyone have a baby carrier we can borrow? We are looking for something that can be worn on the front or the back, for a toddler, 16 pound and up.